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Breakthrough Takes Action, Launches Policy Advocacy Practice to Advance Educational Equity
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At Breakthrough, we understand our mission to be rooted in commitments to educational equity, and in the intertwined issues of health, economic, and racial justice, as the ability to realize one’s educational dreams is connected to many other factors in our society. We are compelled to engage with our students, families and community partners to advocate for public policymaking that helps all young people and their communities thrive. While the current moment presents unprecedented challenges, it also offers opportunities for us to take action for transformative change. We have a core belief that drives our policy advocacy practice: students – the individuals who are navigating and being personally impacted by educational policies and should be the leading voices in the construction and reform of those very policies. We also know that it will take the collective effort of everyone who cares about our region’s students to ensure that the best ideas are heard and valued by institutions of education and government. Our commitment to the inclusion of diverse voices and to collaboration inspires this call to action for advocacy alongside our Breakthrough community.
Will you join us in taking action?
Learn more below on how, together, we can advance educational equity in the upcoming Texas Legislative session, support our undocumented and DACA students, and raise the voices of our students at the federal level.
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180 & Counting: More Breakthrough Students Reach Milestone of a College Degree
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Congratulations to our newest college graduates! This month, 7 more Breakthrough students joined our growing community of Breakthrough College Graduates who have become the first in their families to earn a college degree. Check them out below!
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Jose Rodriguez, University of Texas at Dallas, Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering
Fatima Gloria, Texas Woman’s University, Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Daniel Valadez, Concordia University, Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology
Jessica Martinez, Concordia University, Bachelor of Business Administration
Lucy Saucedo, Texas Tech University, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
De'Andrea Foy, Sam Houston State University, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Mayra Olguin-Cruz, Texas State University, Bachelor of Science in Consumer & Family Sciences in Family & Child Development
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"I always knew that college was the goal. I just never knew how I was going to get there. Thanks to the guidance from Breakthrough, I found my way."
- De'Andrea Foy
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Donor Spotlight: Rosalind George
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When Rosalind George was first introduced to Breakthrough at an event in Fall 2015, she was moved by the stories and experiences of our program's first-generation college graduates. She described Breakthrough as a "herculean" initiative with a strong commitment to support, motivate and mentor a child with college dreams from 6th grade to the time they cross the college graduation stage. When asked why the mission was so important to her, she answered, "It levels the playing field for so many students and families in Central Texas." That's when she realized she had to be a part of an integral mission of "hope and opportunity." Read more.
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This Holiday Season, Take Action for the Students of Central Texas
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Make a donation today in support of Breakthrough’s radical, 12-year program and help provide the guidance and support students need to overcome the systemic barriers to post-secondary educational attainment, become first-generation college graduates and change the trajectory of their family forever.
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DID YOU KNOW: This year, your gift is eligible for a 100% tax deduction under the CARES Act legislation - a $2.2 trillion stimulus plan that contains funding opportunities for charities and enhanced charitable giving incentives for 2020. The incentives include:
- Temporary Universal Charitable Deduction—Taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions can take a one-time deduction of up to $300 for gifts made to charitable organizations
- Suspends the 60% adjusted gross income limitation for individuals’ charitable contributions for the year 2020
- Increases the cap on how much corporations may deduct for charitable gifts from 10% of taxable income to 25%
- Waives for 2020 the required minimum distributions from retirement plans, such as pensions and 457 plans
Learn more.
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Breakthrough Collaborative Presents First White Paper
Breaking Through the Distance: How Relationships Foster Online Learning, Insights from Breakthrough Collaborative's National 2020 Virtual Summer Program
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In the spring of 2020, in response to COVID-19, Breakthrough’s 24 affiliates embarked on an unprecedented, network–wide mobilization to develop a digital ecosystem that could provide meaningful academic and social-emotional support for thousands of students across the country. Given widely held conventional wisdom about the limitations of virtual learning, there was little certainty that Breakthrough’s high-energy, fun-filled, relationship-based summer program could be effectively translated to a remote environment. However, once underway, it became clear that community building, teaching, and learning can be successful online with the right resources and planning.
Through the collection of data sourced from interviews, focus groups, and surveys from students, teachers, and affiliate leaders around the country, the Collaboratives’ first white paper focuses on six strategies to best engage students during virtual learning. Read the full brief below.
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| Breakthrough is proud to be an AmeriCorps program.
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